1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to communication between multiple individuals. More particularly, this invention relates to increasing awareness and sense of proximity among multiple users.
2. Background
In the modern business world, multiple individuals typically work together as a team to obtain a particular goal. These particular goals vary greatly, being dependent on the nature of the individuals"" company. The physical localities of each of the team members can also vary. For example, different team members may be located in different offices on the same floor, in different buildings, at different sites throughout the world, or any combination of these possible locations.
One problem which can arise with teamwork is the lack of physical proximity of the individual team members. Having multiple team members distributed throughout different locations reduces the sense of awareness of and proximity to different team members. This situation arises whenever there is a physical separation of team members, regardless of whether they are across the country or down the hall from each other. However, a sense of awareness and proximity, as well as ease of communication, typically enhances the team environment. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism to increase awareness of and sense of proximity to multiple individuals separated over different physical distances.
A specific example of physical distance between team members is the increasing use of remote computing. Some individuals currently spend a portion of their work week working at home. These individuals often remotely access their office network from home (for example, via a modem and telephone line). Given that these individuals may still be part of a team, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism to increase the sense of proximity and awareness of all the team members, including both those individuals who are working from home and those who are working in the office.
Additionally, communication between multiple individuals, such as members of a team, is often more difficult over greater distances. For example, it is typically easier for an individual to know when the person at the desk next to theirs is at his desk and when he can be talked to rather than someone on another floor of the building. Current solutions to knowing whether a person is present in his or her office include both using a telephone to call the person and walking to that person""s desk to see if he or she is there. However, these solutions present additional problems. For example, if a person is not present at his or her desk or is on the phone, the phone may be forwarded to a voice mail system, many of which do not inform the caller whether the person is at his or her desk and on the phone, or away from his desk. Additionally, walking to the person""s desk results in wasted time if the individual is not there. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism to augment opportune communication between multiple individuals.
Furthermore, given that individuals may frequently enter and leave their offices throughout the work day, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism to automatically and accurately sense the presence or absence of an individual.
As will be described in more detail below, the present invention provides a mechanism for increasing awareness and sense of proximity among multiple individuals which will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description that follows.
A mechanism for increasing awareness and sense of proximity among multiple users in a network system is described herein. The mechanism senses whether a first user is in close proximity to a first end point. The mechanism then transmits first proximity information indicating whether the first user is in close proximity to the first end point from the first end point to a second end point.
According to one embodiment, the first end point determines whether the first user is in close proximity to the first end point based on one or more of a variety of sensors, including a cursor control sensor, a keyboard sensor, and a motion sensor. This proximity information can then be displayed or otherwise communicated to the user(s) of one or more additional end points, providing the user(s) of the additional end points with information regarding whether the first user is in close proximity to the first end point.